When Pokemon GO first launched, it did so with most of the Generation 1 Pokemon, minus Legendary Pokemon and some select others. Since then, Niantic has greatly expanded the number of Pokemon in Pokemon GO, introducing creatures from the Johto region all the way to the sixth generation of Pokemon games. Gen 6 Pokemon were added to Pokemon GO in December 2020, meaning it's been well over a year since the popular mobile game has had a significant influx of new creatures to catch. But now there's evidence to suggest that a slew of new Pokemon could be on the way sooner rather than later.
Data mining efforts by PokeMiners has determined that gen 7 Pokemon could be added to Pokemon GO at some point in the near future. According to the data miners, all Pokemon from Generation 7 have been "pushed," so it's just a matter of when Niantic decides to introduce them at this point. This even includes the unique Ultra Beast Pokemon, so it will be interesting to see exactly how they're incorporated in Pokemon GO.
While this will mark the first time that a majority of Generation 7 Pokemon will be added to Pokemon GO, it should be noted that this isn't the first time Pokemon from the Alola region have been added to the game. As some may recall, roughly four years ago or so, Niantic added the Alolan variants of Generation 1 Pokemon to the game.
Details on how exactly the Pokemon GO gen 7 rollout will work remains to be seen, but fans can make an educated guess based on how previous generations were handled. The most likely scenario is that Pokemon GO will add a limited number of Generation 7 Pokemon to the game to start out, with more introduced over time to refresh the pool of wild Pokemon and keep fans engaged. Some Pokemon, like the Generation 7 legendary Pokemon and maybe the Ultra Beasts, will likely be introduced to Pokemon GO as part of special events, though that's just speculation at this time.
After the Generation 7 Pokemon are added to Pokemon GO, the mobile game will be nearly caught up with the main series games, which could in turn lead to a drought of new Pokemon for players to catch. There's still the Generation 8 games and the few new Pokemon that were added in Pokemon Legends: Arceus, but otherwise Pokemon GO will need to wait for the Generation 9 games before it will be able to add a meaningful number of new Pokemon to the game.
With how long it's been between the introduction of Generation 6 and Generation 7, though, the potential content droughts shouldn't be a huge problem for Pokemon GO. Niantic will find other ways to keep fans engaged with the game, like through Special Research quests and seasonal events.
Pokemon GO is out now for iOS and Android mobile devices.
Source: PokeMiners
